Cuban authorities announced Thursday that a fifth crew member of a U.S.-flagged speedboat involved in a deadly shootout with the coast guard last week has succumbed to his injuries. Prosecutors have initiated terrorism charges against the remaining survivors, suspecting they were attempting to smuggle weapons into the country to destabilize the government in Havana.
The gunfight occurred on February 25 when a coast guard vessel approached the speedboat and requested identification; the occupants responded with gunfire. The Cuban coast guard shot down four of those aboard, including the fifth member who has now died from his wounds. These six survivors, one of whom is Roberto Alvarez Avila, had their cases forwarded to prosecutors for further investigation.
The interior ministry stated that weapons worth nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition and an array of firearms, including fourteen rifles and eleven pistols, were found aboard the vessel, which was registered in the United States. The Cuban coast guard’s involvement has raised suspicions about a potential transfer of arms to Cuba from elsewhere.
The surviving crew members include at least two U.S. citizens who tragically lost their lives during the confrontation. One of these survivors, identified as Roberto Alvarez Avila, had previously died on March 4 due to his injuries. The investigation into the incident is ongoing with collaboration between Cuban and American authorities, including evidence-sharing initiatives.
President Donald Trump’s administration has long harbored an inclination toward regime change in Cuba following the ousting of Nicolás Maduro, whose government was once Cuba’s main oil supplier. A relative of one of those killed in the speedboat incident shared his brother’s story with reporters. Misael Ortega Casanova revealed that his brother Michael had been fixated on overthrowing the Cuban government.
Ortega Casanova explained how his sibling and others aboard the vessel were so driven by their desire for regime change, they became oblivious to personal safety and consequences. These sentiments echo broader protests within Cuba and among Cuban Americans against the current leadership’s human rights record.
The incident underscores a complex geopolitical situation where transnational arms smuggling intersects with ideological motivations in Latin America and beyond.